Ianto's Plan
by Gatergirl79
Summary: Ianto Jones had had a plan. Get inside Torchwood Three; use what they'd salvaged from Canary Wharf and save Lisa. WARNING: May contain spoilers for episode Cyberwoman.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm not sure if this is a oneshot or the beginning of a story. But this came to me while rewatching seasons one and two. I hope you like it. **

**WARNING: As usual, I do not have a betaReader so this WILL contain spelling and grammar mistake. Forgive me :D**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

Ianto Jones had had a plan. Get inside Torchwood Three; use what they'd salvaged from Canary Wharf and save Lisa.

And it had worked. He'd gathered all the information he could find on the team and their leader Captain Jack Harkness, hoping to find a way in. – Which of course he had. Flirting his way into a job as tea boy. And delivering them a pterodactyl helped.

So he'd become Torchwood Threes office boy. Making their teas and cleaning up their shit and never complaining because that would lead to questions. The background job was perfect all in all. They barely noticed him most of the time, unless it was "Ianto do this." Or "Ianto do that." or "Any chance of a coffee Ianto."

But he'd gained complete access to the base, making it easy for him to sneak Lisa and the equipment they'd managed to either salvaged or built into a large empty room in the hubs basement. Then all he'd had to do was wait and search for someone with the qualifications to help restore Lisa.

And of course keep the team from discovering his secret by any means necessary. Which is where his subtle flirtation with his boss came into it, cause if he had stopped once he'd gotten the job it would be noticed.

But that's where his grand plan took a nose dive. Because what had begun as a causal flirtation to get his foot in the door, to keep Jack preoccupied and save the woman he loved was quickly become so much more than that.

He hadn't meant for it to actually mean anything and that's what was slowly killing him, day after day, the pain of guilt was weighing down on him. One moment he was happy, cheerfully going about his business, then Jack would give him that smile or make some comment and he'd feel his heart skip and race and in its wake would come the guilt. – Guilt he'd become an expert at hiding. – He would think of Lisa and their time together then suddenly it would feel as if he was cheating on her.

Then there would be the moments after he'd spent a few hours with a occasionally conscious Lisa, when Jack would walk through the Hub door smiling, laughing and giving Ianto that secret look he didn't even realised he gave and a fresh wave of guilt would hit him as he face the truth that he was lying to people who after just over a year had become his friends. – He was lying to Jack.

Or worst of all, lying to himself. Because in those moments he knew there would be no saving Lisa, that's when the slip in his soul would begin a battle, one side wanting to confess all to Jack the other determined that nothing was going to stop him from saving Lisa, not even himself. Because he loved her, they'd been happy together and not cocky grinning American with a dark and mysterious past was going to change that. Not ever.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you liked this, still can't decide on whether to continued... what do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and to those who add this story to the favourite list. :D I'm feeling very honored. :D**

**Anyhow, I did write a secomd chapter. Don't know if its going to stand up against the first, fingers cross... and I guess this means I'll have to do a full story.**

**WARNING: contains spoilers for the episode Cyberwoman... and maybe a hint or two to Fragments. :D (Which is a personal favorite episode) Oh, and not been betaread. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>

Ianto stood at the arrival gate of Cardiff airport fidgeting with his tie and suit. He wished he could say he was nervous about meeting Doctor Tanizaki but the truth was he was feeling guilty again.

He'd stood in Jack's office yesterday morning; a tray of tea's in hand and told his employer that he would need to take some time off for a dentist appointment. Jack had given him that bright slightly lopsided smile and cooed over him, cause Ianto to be trapped half way between lust and guilt for the rest of the day.

He'd been feeling like that more and more over the last few weeks, once he'd found Doctor Tanizaki via Torchwood and their contacts. It seemed the close he was getting to having his plan come together, the more his feeling for Jack were becoming.

He'd never been able to figure out what it was about Jack that got him all hot and bothered. He'd never considered himself gay before he'd met the mysterious American, but ever since that evening at the warehouse with Myfanwy, there was this strange buzz between them…. And Ianto hated to admit it was getting stronger and much harder to ignore. Which inevitably led to more shame, cause there was Liza to consider. He'd promised to save her, and Ianto Jones always kept his promises.

_But that was before Canary Wharf_. His mind taunted. _Before the Cybermen…. Before Captain Jack Harkness_. When him and Lisa were just two people living relatively normal lives, planning a future.

A voice over the speaker pulled him back to the present and Ianto once again force back everything he was feeling.

The arrival doors opened and he waited, hope making his heart sore. If Doctor Tanizaki was as good as he'd heard and read he would have Lisa back soon. They could get on with their lives together and put Cybermen and Torchwood behind them.

He straightened at the sight of the smaller Japanese cybernetics expert, telling himself over and over that he would be glad to put Torchwood and this nightmare behind him. But even as his mind repeated the mantra over and over, a pair of excitable blue eyes and a lopsided, white smile floated into his thoughts and his stomach tightened.

"Mr. Jones."

Ianto bowed low before the older man, giving him the traditional Japanese greeting before straightening, shaking the man's hand and taking his case. "I am parked close by, Doctor. I will take you to your hotel so you can rest and recover from your flight. – Was it pleasant?" he asked almost as an afterthought, his body and mind still not recovered from his thoughts a few moments ago.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Jones. – Tell me…" Doctor Tanizaki said as he followed the taller man. "… when will I get to know why exactly you can brought me her. – What is this thing you have would have me examine? – I am very much intrigued, Mr. Jones."

Ianto's jaw clenched angrily. Lisa wasn't a thing; she was a person, the woman he loved. But he'd been unable to tell the doctor why he was bringing him over from Japan. He did not want to risk anyone finding out, and the words 'living' and 'Cybermen' would draw attention. He'd worked for Torchwood long enough to know that much. So he'd been vague in his emails to the doctor and luckily, he's said enough to peek the man's interest.

"If everything goes to plan and there are no emergences…. Tonight."

"Wonderful." The old doctor smiled getting into the back of Ianto's hire car as Ianto slid into the driver's seat.

As if from his lips to Jack's ears, Ianto's phone beeped. Smiling apologetically over his shoulder, he pulled out the mobile and flipped it open. Seeing a message from Jack, he held his breathe, only to release it as he read the message.

**MSG: JACK**

**Ianto hopes everything's fine at the dentist. Can you grab some treats on your way back? Something sweet.**

**Like you. ;) **

**Jack. **

**PS: Hurry up. We're all in desperate need of coffee.**

Ianto wasn't sure if he wanted to be angry or amused, so he settled half way between the two. Just like everything else.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Once again, thanks to all you the faves and the followers. I'm glad you like this story. :D and I hope you continue to.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE<strong>

Ianto walked back into the hub after dropping Doctor Tanizaki off at the hotel, a tray gripped tightly between his hands. He'd stopped at the closest coffee chain to retrieve the teams' coffee and Danishes.

The hub was quiet as everyone concentrated on their work, though Ianto could feel boredom in the air of his subterraneanial workplace. It had been quiet the last few days so everyone was forced to catch up on much needed paper work, the most boring part of their job, after all some people had to stay behind with the stapler and paper clips while they were off catching sex-aliens. It gave Ianto a nice feeling to see then forced to live his day to day route for once.

"Finally." Complained Owen, as he shot out of his chair, shaking a coffee and Danish without so much as a thank you. Which earned him a glare from both Tosh and Gwen, who made a point of thanking him sweetly as they retrieved their own beverages.

With his three colleagues in possession of their long awaited coffees, it was time to face his boss.

Ianto paused on the threshold of Jack's office. The man's head bend over a pile of papers, the pen in his hand swiftly moving as he turned the pages. His face spoke of concentration but the roll of his shoulders and the small tick in his strong jaw told that he'd rather be out casing down something… anything… Alien. Date. Just as long as he wasn't stuck behind a desk.

He dropped the pen with frustration and lent back in his chair, raising his arms and knotting his fingers behind the back of his head. That was when he noticed Ianto.

"Ianto." He grinned that thousand watt smile. The one that seemed reserved just for him.

Jack Harkness had a dozen smiles. To anyone else they looked the same, but there were slight differences, small things that made each one unique and special.

Ianto wondered if the others were aware of this and if they were affected in the same way, did their hearts race and their flesh warm. And that was just from a smile.

The one time Ianto had actually had bodily contact with the good captain it had felt like being swallowed by the sun itself. He had to get as far away from him as he could, because it was just too much, especially at the time. When he'd been in need of something or someone to keep him from going crazy. To keep him warm and make him feel alive.

"So you got my message." Jack pulled him back to the present. "How was the torture chamber? – I hope you still have those pearly whites…." Jack laughed. "… there one of your best features, you know." He winked suggestively at the tall Welshman in the impeccable suit.

Ianto did what he always did when Jack flirted so outrageously. He smiled, straightened his back and tried his hardest to ignore the affect his tone and accent was having on him.

"It went well thank you sir. See." Ianto flashed his teeth and Jack nodded at the evidence presented.

"So Ianto, what did you bring me?" he was still using that gentle seductive tone as he lent forward on the desk, his eyes never leaving him.

"What you requested sir. - As I always do." Ianto placed the cardboard coffee cup in front of his employer, then added the cake beside it. One Ianto knew from experience Jack favored.

Moving to straighten up, his gaze locked with Jacks and his could swear his breath fled his lungs. The locked gaze was filled with so much want and desire that Ianto could hardly think let alone breathe. It was always this way with Jack… when no-one else was around and their guards where down. "

"So you do Ianto…" Jack leaned closer, his voice dropping and his lips pulled into that lopsided smile again. "Will you always give me what I want?"

Ianto could feel his face turn scarlet at the not so subtle meaning to his employers' words and low chuckle. His body had always reacted to that laugh. He's tried a thousand and one times to tell himself it was the so-called 51st century pheromones, Jack had mentioned once, but no-one else seemed to be affected by them. Not Owen or Tosh or Gwen. So what was it about Jack that had him in a whirl he couldn't understand.

He was still considering this and staring into Jack's blue eyes when it happened.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to all those who have faved this story, and for the reviews. I alway love to hear from the readers so I know what's going right and what's not working. :D so please keep them coming. **

**Warning: Still not betaread, so there will be spelling and grammar mistake. You have now been pre-warned so no complants. :)**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR<strong>

His beeper went off, telling him that Lisa's meds need his attention and with the reminder, the moment was broken. He was swiftly flooded with shame and guilt and self-hatred, because while he was here flirting and desiring his boss, his girlfriend was a prisoner in a body not fully her own, unable to feel anything more than pain. Instantly Ianto snapped up straight and turned to leave.

"What's the rush?" Jack frowned at the retreating tea-boy.

"I have filing to get on with sir…and Myfanwy needs to be fed."

"Huh." Jack slumped in his chair, his bright smile and flirtatious manner gone. "….Well, if you're interested Ianto, we're going out for a drink after work… if you want to come."

Ianto turned ever so slightly to see an unfamiliar look on Jack's face. "I…" he wanted to say yes, a small part of him wanted to have a normal after work experience. Have a drink, chat about rugby, football and what was on telly last night, maybe even continue this flirtation with Jack, but he couldn't. He needed to save Lisa. She was his number one priority - His only priority.

"I can't sir. - Sorry."

"Oh. – Well…." Jack shrugged a single shoulder indicating he didn't care one way or the other, thought Ianto suspected that he care just a bit. "It's only polite to ask…. Go do you're filing Ianto." Jack said, turning back to his own papers, pushing the coffee and Danish to one side.

Ianto froze on the threshold for a few more moments watching his boss with a deep regret. With a deep breathe he left the office with his head high, but his stomach and heart dragged long the floor. All the way to the basement he kept telling himself that Lisa came first. Above everything and everyone else, because Lisa was the one he loved.

Ianto stood over the machines listening to them beep and whir. His finger flicking the IV that was keeping Lisa's pain managed. He was still haunted by the lust of a little while ago, the heat in Jack's gaze still having an effect on him.

Determinedly he pushed those feelings away, they meant nothing. Ianto wrapped his long fingers around Lisa's before pressing a kiss to the young women's motionless lips, causing a twitch of movement beneath that had tears swelling in his eyes.

"Soon Lisa." He whispered hoarsely into her ear. "You'll be yourself soon. – I love you."

He wasn't sure if he was saying these words to reassure Lisa or himself.

Straighten up; he glanced at his watch suddenly noticing how late it was. The team would be leaving soon. With another squeeze of Liza's hand he headed back up to the hub, contacting Doctor Tanizaki as he made his way up from the lowest level.

In an hour, when Ianto was sure everyone was gone, he would reveal Lisa to the Doctor in the desperate hope that the old man could bring her back to him.

He re-entered the hub to find the team had given up the mission of defeating the back log of paper work, deciding instead to play basketball. None of them acknowledge his return; they were too caught up in the game. As he watched the fun, Ianto was hit with the desire to join, to relax and enjoy himself with his colleges. He couldn't fathom when it had become such an ordeal keeping himself separate from everyone.

At the beginning he'd been aloof but friendly. Doing his job and rarely speaking to the team unless it was necessary but slowly his frosty demeanor had begun to melt and he knew who was responsible for it. Jack had seemed determined to breach the wall Ianto had built around himself, to stop anything tainting the love and hope he carried for Lisa, but Ianto had to acknowledge the first crack appeared the day he'd met Jack Harkness.

The man's angry refuse to listen to him on that first night had fired the first in a long endured bombard of looks, smiled and comments that was day by days removing that wall, allowing doubts and feeling he'd never expected to feel again, to seep through.

Of course that had been the plan, right. Flirt with the infamous Captain Jack Harkness till the man gave him a job. That was why he'd been in that park, that was why he'd dressed in tight dark jeans that he would never have worn otherwise. – It was all a part of his plan.

So when had his plan backfired? When as the playful flirtation turned serious? Ianto wished he could answer that question but the fact was he didn't know. All he did know was that he was slowly losing a grip on what was real and what wasn't.

A cry of victory from Owen and Gwen pulled Ianto back from his concentrated thoughts. The team argued as they retrieved their jackets and prepared to leave. Finally piling out past Ianto without so much as a farewell, Jack throwing him the basketball as he went. There was no repeated invitation but the distancing echo of their laughter as he stood, the ball clutched to his chest.

He had wanted them gone. – hadn't he? So why was he suddenly wishing them back, wishing he could cling onto this part of his life, it was ridiculous, after almost a year he was so close to getting everything he'd wanted for so long. It wasn't like this was anything but a way to get what he wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this chapters so short. :( But thanks for reading.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE<strong>

He didn't know how it had happened, how all his hopes and dreams had been crushed to duct in the space of a few hours but they had.

As he draped the mutilated, dead body of Doctor Tanizaki towards one of the unused storage rooms, he kept telling himself that it had been an accident. That Lisa hadn't meant to do it. That there was still hope. He'd gotten half way down the corridor when the power started to drain again and it was suddenly all too much for him. He'd planned so carefully, everything was going just as it was meant to… well, except for a few unforeseen problems. And then in the blink of an eye, it was gone. If the team found Lisa – which they were sure to do if he didn't do something quickly - Ianto knew they'd kill her. He couldn't allow that to happen. Lisa was the love of his life, he'd risk his own if he had to.

He was nearly to the room when the worst possible thing happened. Jack spoke to him. Called his name, pleaded for a response. His cheerful flirtatious tone filled with worry and just like that, the wall cracked further till there was a gaping hole, allowing everything to rush free like a burst damn.

Ianto dropped to his knees and cried. He'd lost everything, everything he'd had, everything he'd worked so hard to restore… everything that in the dark lonely nights gave him a warmth that helped get him through the sorrow.

And it was all his fault.

Ianto hadn't made it back to Lisa before anyone could come looking for them and he cursed at the sight of Jack, weapon raised and ready to fire.

He watched Jack's fingers as they gripped the gun. He watched the older man's face as his eyes took in what was happening. Ianto could hear Gwen's screams, he could hear the sound of the cyber conversion unit but all he could acknowledge was Jack and the threat he posed to Lisa.

When he saw the twitch in Jack's cheek and the tightening of his hand around the grip of his weapon, he acted. Rushing towards Jack as he fired, sending the shot wide so it missed Lisa and ricocheted off the wall.

Their bodies pressed together. Closer than they'd been in a long time and Ianto found his instinct to protect Lisa dwarfing any desire he might have felt at having his employer in such an intimate position.

The captain fought back of course, forcing Ianto away and against the other wall, shouting at him, his gaze willed with anger and confusion. Another scream from Gwen at the men breaking their hold on each other and rushing to her rescue.

Ianto saw the instant comprehending hit; he saw the spark of anger flare in Jack's gaze and could only apologies, though he knew it would never be enough.

While Jack release Gwen from the table and flung Owen, who lay unconscious on the floor, over his shoulder, Ianto watched out for Lisa. Half fearing her return and half praying for it, all the time clinging to hope, for that was all he had left.

Ianto was leading the way back to the hub when she didn return. His heart lept into his throat at the sight of her. He could hear Jack talking but all he could think about was Lisa. The blank cold stare she was giving them. A spark of fear crawled up his spin and his heart raced. When she suddenly turned an marched away, the sound of metal hiting concrete echoing down the long corridors, he breathed a sigh of relief.

But that relief was short lives as he felt the barrel of Jack's pistol press against his head. He could hear the fury in the older man's voice. He wasn't expecting the feelings that swamped him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I hope you like the chapter. Thanks for all your reviews, please keep them coming. :) **

**The conversation between Ianto and other characters are taken from the episode Cyberwoman. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX<strong>

Ianto stared up at Captain Jack Harkness from his place kneeling on the cold damp concrete floor. The guilt had always been a presence in Ianto Jones's life since the day he'd set out to save Lisa, only at this very moment, staring up into furious blue eyes it felt a thousand time more worse. Over the month Ianto had been working with Jack, he'd never seen a look so intense. Even when they'd meet and Jack had become frustrated at Ianto's never ending pursuit of him, he hadn't seemed practically angry, but now he looked like he was more than willing to pull the trigger.

"Did you know what thing was down there?"

"I put her there." Ianto informed him matter-of-factly.

"You hid a Cyberman within Torchwood and you didn't tell us. – What else are you hiding from us." Jack said angrily though tightly clenched teeth and he gripped Ianto's hair, pulling his head back so the younger was forced to look at him.

As much as he understood Jack's anger, his defensive instincts were quick to take control. When Jack shouted, accusing and threaten, Ianto snapped.

"Like you care! – I clear up your shit. No questions asked and that's the way you like it. When did you last ask me anything about my life?"

Ianto glared up at Jack, something passed over his features. Tears burning in Ianto's eyes as he told the people he'd spent months working alongside why he'd done what he'd done. "Her name's Lisa. She's my girlfriend."

There was sympathy on all their faces, especially Gwen. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you."

Ianto glanced at her. It was the most infuriating and yet endearing thing about Gwen Cooper. Her ability to care. Thing was she didn't get it. After weeks of working at Torchwood, she still didn't understand what they did. How it worked. What had to be sacrificed?

"Torchwood exists to destroy alien threats. Why would I tell you about her?"

Owen snip about loyalty irritated him. The man could never understand what Ianto had gone through. Watching Lisa go through the pain. Ianto was sure that Owen Harper never loved anyone but himself. He could never understand that his only loyalty was to the woman he loved. "My loyalties to her…" Ianto sniffed.

He turned his gaze back to Jack, pleading for him to understand. Lisa was a part of torchwood and deserved their help. "…we owe it to her to find a cure."

There was honest compassion in Jack's eyes as he tried to gently tell Ianto that there was no hope. That her existence placed the world in danger. But Ianto could listen. He couldn't allow himself to be convinced that there was no hope for her.

Jack's compassion turned to anger as Ianto shot to his feet, his own anger boiling up inside him. "You're not listening to me. The conversion was never completed!" he snapped at Jack.

"She already tried to kill Gwen. You think she's going to stop there?"

Ianto's gut clenched tight at the memory of Doctor Tanizaki. His bloody and disfigured body lying beneath the tarp in the basement. It was an accident, post-traumatic stress. Lisa hadn't meant to kill him. That what he kept telling himself. He couldn't allow the doubts to take root. He needed to cling on to his hope, no matter what Jack said. Because he'd worked so hard to save Lisa. But that's what you didn't when you loved someone. You sacrifice.

Lisa was come back to him. They would be happy again. He had spent so long believing in that, planning for that, that anything else was unthinkable.

"I love her." He wasn't sure whether he was trying to convince them to save her, or himself that it was true. "Can you understand that Jack? Haven't you ever loved anyone?"

Ianto felt his heart skip as he stared up into the blue eyes of Captain Jack Harkness. It wasn't that he expected him to say 'You'. That would be foolish, they weren't like that. It was the shadow that lingered in those blue depths that told Ianto that Jack had loved… and had been hurt more than once.

When Jack took a step forward, his gaze locked with Ianto's and his voice low, the younger man felt his throat close and the oxygen become a prisoner of his lungs. He ignored the warmth Jack close proximity and voice stirred in him. He focused on Lisa. This was all about Lisa.

"You need to figure out whose side you're on here, because if you don't know, you're not going to make it out of this alive."

The sound of metal on metal drew everyone's attention as Lisa appeared bring a halt to the conversation. Ianto knew he had one chance to save Lisa from Torchwood. He had to show them that she wasn't a monster. That she was still human. Still Lisa.

"Let me talk to her. I can still save her. Save us all. – She's not a monster." He pleaded.

Jack gave him a small nod of approval, despite Gwen's protests.

Ianto walked slowly towards Lisa, his hands spread wide to show he wasn't a threat. His voice gentle and pleading as he spoke. He needed to prove she was still Lisa, still the woman he loved. – Though whether he wanted to prove it to them or himself he would never know.

He listened to her inform them of her plans. Her harsh robotic voice cutting deep into his heart as she told them she would rebuild the cyber-army from their small little corner of wales.

When Jack spoke, he wasn't sure if the Captain was trying to reach the humanity or taunt the Cyberman within. When Lisa turned to look at her reflection in the glass hope blossomed in his chest and he pressed forward. Speaking with affection. Reminding her of who she was. He knew he sounded desperate but he didn't care. He'd planned to save Lisa; he was not going to stop trying.

"We can help you."

"I must start again. – Upgrade properly."

Ianto was flooded with so many emotions all at once. Anger, desperation, fury, hate. He'd tried everything, given everything and she was just going to give up. "For God's sake, have you heard yourself!" he snapped. "Lisa please…"

The tears were burning his eyes till he couldn't see straight. He head hurt, his heart hurt and he felt completely empty. For so long Lisa was all he'd allowed himself to care about. Nothing else. No one else. Just Lisa.

"I brought you here to heal you…" it sound like surrender to his ears. "…so we could be together."

"Together. Yes. – Transplant my brain into your body…."

It pained him to see the cold look in her eyes. The lack of emotion that confirmed she'd been converted.

"…the two of us together, fused. We'll be one complete person."

Ianto couldn't hold back the tears, the dam burst inside him taking his hope with him. The more Lisa spoke in that emotionless, heartless mechanical way, the more he knew that he'd lost her forever. It was over. His plan had failed. Looking up to meet her dark brown gaze he felt his heart shatter painfully within him as she asked.

"Isn't that what love is?"

"No."

Ianto hadn't expected her outrages expression, or her violent reaction. It was clear that despite what he'd seen and heard there was still just a spark of humanity in her. It small spark that hated rejection. That was the only way to explain the vice like grip she had on his throat as she lifted him off his feet. The spark of humanity was there but Ianto didn't see it, or if he did something would not allow him to acknowledge it. Instead he clenched his eyes shut and prepared to die at the hands of the woman he loved.

He felt himself flying through the air, gravity pulled him down. It hit the concrete slop at Jack's feet and everything went black. The last thing he heard was gun fire and Jack shouting orders.

"Code nine maneuvers, go!"

His last throat was a hope that Lisa wouldn't kill him too.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Ianto floated in the abyss of unconsciousness for what felt like an eternity. It was just an empty space. If this was death, he was fine with that.

He didn't want to go back to the real world. There was nothing there for him anymore. Lisa was gone. He had failed. What would he do now without Lisa to care for, to love? His heart felt empty and his soul tired.

Somewhere in the abyss he heard a voice calling to him. Gentle, demanding and filled with concern. Ianto tried his best to ignore it. The darkness was preferable to the light of the world. But the voice would not be silence.

He felt his body jerk slightly, felt a sharp pain radiate through his face and he fought to remain in the blackness. He would not go back. He told himself. He would stay here forever. There was nothing that could make him return to a world without love and friendship. Without the gentle words of comfort that came with knowing another person cared for you beyond measure.

Then he felt it. A warmth that seemed to blaze through every nerve, pulling him further and further away from the emptiness of eternity and back towards the light. He fought with all his will. He would not go back. He could not face life without Lisa.

But life it seemed was not willing to give up on Ianto Jones….and neither was Jack Harkness.

The warmth wrapped itself around Ianto tighter and tighter until he was dragged screaming back into consciousness. He was still on the brink when he became aware of what exactly that warmth was. He didn't need to open his eyes to know it was a kiss.

His heart swelled with hope that it was Lisa but his mind and his body destroyed that hope. The hand pressed to his jaw and throat wasn't the soft fingers and palm of a woman but rather the rough solidity of a man. The pressure on his lips was still warm and gentle with framed with what he could only imagine was stubble.

The pressure grew, the kiss deepened as if Prince Charming was giving all he had to wake Sleeping Beauty.

Ianto continued to fight it, but no matter how much his heart ached for death he couldn't fight the feelings Jack had long ago awakened in him.

He came to back to the world with a gasp of breath and a meeting of eyes. Jack's hushed him silent, but he didn't need to be. He was too surprised and confused to speak. He just stared up into the blue eyes of Jack. His body still stirring from the kiss.

Jack's hand drifted away from his mouth to brush of Ianto face and his had the warm feeling that the older man wanted to kiss him again, and in truth Ianto wanted it too.

Suddenly mechanical scream broke whatever bubble had encased the pair; causing Ianto to shoot away from Jack with an intense feeling of shame. How could he have forgotten Lisa?

He stumbled into the morgue to find Lisa slumped against the wall with a wound in his side. Owen was pleading innocence, but Ianto wasn't listening. He was staring sickeningly at Lisa's lifeless body. He hated himself, painfully. He hadn't been here for her, he'd been with Jack. Fresh tears filled his eyes.

When Lisa's eyes shot open, he was shocked. Not just because she wasn't dead as he'd believed, but because he wasn't so completely overjoyed. He stepped back from her with fear in his eyes.

He felt Gwen's hand on his arm, her voice demanding that he leave.

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><p><strong>AN: Would like to thank you for your reviews, alerts and favourites :D ****I feel very honoured to have your support.**

**I love to hear your thoughts on my work. Next Chapter as soon as I can.**


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Ianto stumbled off of the 'service exit' and onto Roald Dahl Plass, shaken and angry. The image of Lisa being ripped apart by Myfanwy would haunt him for the rest of his life, he knew.

The anger swelled in his chest, painful. He would have cried up he was sure there was no water left him his body, so he found another release for that hunt.

Spinning around he allowed his fist to fly towards the man he blamed for everything. His guilt, his shame… for making him forget Lisa for even the briefest moment. – For a thousand brief moments.

Bone connected with bone, as Ianto's fist found its target. It didn't make him feel any better, but it was all he could do.

"You could have saved her!" he yelled, as Gwen put her police training into action and backed him away from their leader. "Your worse than anything locked up down their!" he continued to shout, his face ridged with fury.

Jack turned slowly towards the younger man, his lips seeping blood. He was silent, not arguing, not taking his own swing.

"One day I'll give a chance to save you and I'll watch you suffer and die." Ianto said with a sting of venom.

"It was the only thing that would stop her!" Jack yelled back, finally making a move towards his subordinate. Only to be restrained by Owen.

Gwen and Owen fought to keep the two men apart, trying desperately to calm the situation. Ianto's fight seemed out of him almost as quickly as it had flooded in. He turned away from the scene. Barely listening or caring anymore….until he heard Tosh's voice.

"Listen, when I was at reception I managed to trip the lockdown timer. The power should be coming back on any second. – We could get back in."

And then he was running. Away from the team and back to Lisa. He heard them call his name. Heard Jack demand that he stop, but he just kept on running. He was going back in there, whether it was to find Lisa alive or dead.

He reached tourist center door, the cover for their secret base, rushing through he grabbed the weapon that was kept behind the desk for security purposed and hit the button to open the false wall.

"Ianto, don't be stupid." Gwen pleaded as the four Torchwood member rushed in after him.

Ianto turned the weapon on them. His face hard with determination, fear and panic. "I have nothing left to lose."

"There's always something left to lose." Gwen stated in her police woman manner.

"I'm going back in to save her. Anybody tries to stop me, I'll shoot them." It was a lie of course. He wasn't a murderer. He couldn't shoot them…. He couldn't shoot Jack, no matter how much he wanted to.

Jack either saw it in his face, or just instinctively knew it as only a soldier could, cause the slightest distraction in Ianto attention and he was on him. Knocking the gun from the younger man's hand, gripping his wrist and twisting, slamming him against the false wall, while pulling his own weapon.

"You make a threat like that; you'd better be prepared to follow it through." Jack announced harshly.

Ianto's face pressed against the doorframe of the false wall. He'd believed himself out of tears, but they proved him wrong by once again welling up inside him. Jack didn't understand. How could he. He was a soldier. Everything Ianto knew about Jack told him the man cared for nothing else but Torchwood.

A small part of his brain briefly questioned who a man who show no sign of caring, could place himself in harm's way for a whole planet, day after day.

But the thought was swept aside by the hard tone of Jack's voice.

"See? You disobey me now, I really will shoot you."

"Get off me."

Jack seemed to push him harder against the wall. "You want to go back in there? You go in to finish the job. – If she's still alive, you execute her…"

"No way."

Jack roughly turned the Ianto to face him and for the first time, he could see the pure look of betrayal and hurt hidden under Jack's anger. "

"You brought this down on us. You hid her." Jack voice was hard, unwavering but his features said so much more. "…you hid yourself from us..."

Ianto knew he meant him. He'd used everything he could think of to get inside Torchwood. He used Jack and now Jack knew it. That guilt he'd felt over the last few months, that heavy weight that he couldn't shift, grew heavier with seeing that look on Jack's face.

"…Now it's time for you to stand as part of the team!"

"Jack." Gwen tried to step in, but was brushed off with a swift shake of Jack's shoulder.

"The girl you loved has gone. Your loyalty is to us now."

Ianto glared at Jack. His callous words poking at that still raw wound. Lisa wasn't dead, he wouldn't believe it. Not until he saw it for himself. And if she wasn't, he would not kill her. He would find another way to save her, to get back the woman he loved. Jack Harkness be damned.

"You can't order me to do that."

"You execute her, or I'll execute you both." Jack said through clenched teeth.

"I won't do it. You can't make me." Ianto said determinedly. Jack may be his boss, but Lisa was his life. "You like to think you're a hero, but you're the biggest monster of all."

Ianto watched as his words struck. Jack's posture chanced, his features darkened. It was as if Ianto had hit a nerve and Ianto felt a surge of pleasure. If he could cause the mighty Jack Harkness an ounce of pain it was worth it. He meet the older man's blue gaze with his own, unflinchingly.

"I'm giving you 10 minutes, then we're coming in." Jack informed him in a low and dangerous tone. "Pick it up."

Ianto' stared at Jack for a brief moment. Then reached down and lifted the gun. He had no intention of kill Lisa. He'd never do that. His plan now was to get to her before the team and hopefully they could both get out of the hub… or die trying.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

The hub was chaos. Blood covered the concrete and filled the air, but to Ianto's relief there was no sign of a body. Of course that didn't mean Lisa was alive.

He scanned the room. He knew how Myfanwy feed, if she'd succeeded in killing Lisa, there would be body parts all over the place. As he searched for any signed and found none, he felt his hopes raise. She wasn't dead.

It was swiftly confirmed by the flickering of lights. She must be trying to for lack of a better term 'recharge'.

Ianto turned, in order to head to the basement. They didn't have long before Jack and the others came in after them. They needed to find a way out of here.

Then he noticed it and his hopes shattered, his heart plummeted and fear took hold. He rushed past the blood covered Pizza delivery box and ran to the basement.

He stormed into the room breathless from fear more than anything. Then he froze dead. Lisa lay not three feet before him. Lifeless and covered with blood.

He dropped to his knees and cradled her head in his lap. He'd failed. Failed to save the woman he love. He cried once again. He didn't think he would ever stop crying. Didn't think he would ever start living. He stared down at the blood that covered his hands. Lisa's blood.

"Ianto?"

He jumped to his feet. Weapon raised, as a short blond woman, he recognized as one of the delivery girls from the local pizza place stepped out of the shadows. Her face bloody, her forehead tainted by a large sown up wound that reminded him of Frankenstein's monster.

"Ianto. It's me. It's Lisa. – I'm human again." She said matter-of-factly.

Ianto watched her as she moved towards him, doubtful. Though somewhere inside he knew what she was saying was true.

"You fought so hard for me, I had to hold on for you.- So I took this body and transplanted the brain"

"You're not Lisa."

He said it more to himself than her. Cause he knew it was, he just prayed he was mistaken, because that would mean Jack was right, she wasn't the woman he loved any longer. His Lisa could never do something like this.

"You always said you didn't love me for what I looked like."

Ianto shook her head, not wanting to believe it. Needing to believe that Lisa hadn't become the monster he's tried so hard to prove she wasn't.

"Last time you said that, it was a Saturday. We were hangover. You made cheese toasties and moaned I hadn't descaled my kettle."

Ianto remembered that morning as clear as day. It could have been yesterday for the clarity it held in his mind. They'd had a rare weekend off together and decided to make the most of it. Jumping on the ferry and heading over to Brittany to do some camping. It hadn't been the best time of year to do it. It had been freezing.

"…We wore our coats and shared one sleeping bag. When we woke up the next morning, a dog was pissing on our tent…"

He'd hung on to a lot of memories since Canary wharf. That had been only a few week before that horrific day that the world had so easily forgotten. But he could never forget. He'd lost Lisa that day.

He knew that now. It would be easier for him to think of it that way, that he'd lost her that day, not today. That the woman… thing standing in front of him wasn't Lisa.

"Hold me, Ianto. – I need you to hold me."

Ianto tried to shut out her pleas. It wasn't Lisa he told himself over and over, even as she continued to beg for him to hold her. He had to do this, he had to finish it. But his heart could let him.

"I need you to tell me it's all right."

That was all Ianto could take, he stumbled swiftly forward, wrapping the shorter woman in a tight embrace, as he cried. It didn't feel like Lisa, it didn't smell like Lisa. Because it wasn't Lisa. He hadn't gotten to say goodbye to his Lisa, this was that goodbye.

With a deep shaky breathe, Ianto stepped back and raised his weapon once more. His face hard and determined.

"What are you doing? –Ianto, It's me. It's really me - You wouldn't shoot me. I did this for you."

"I'm sorry…" He sobbed, shaking as he looking to the face of a woman who wasn't Lisa but who offered him everything he'd lost. "I'm sorry."

He couldn't do it. Shooting her, whether she was Lisa or not was just not in him. "Lisa" He turned away from her in turmoil. It was Lisa, it wasn't Lisa. He had to stop her, he couldn't stop her. It was all so much to take in. He couldn't handle it. It was all too much. He began to stumble away under the weight of loss and guilt.

"We can be upgraded, together." She said and Ianto's heart finally shattered within his chest. Lisa or not, she was dangerous.

The choice was taken out of his hands. The shots rang like a bell in the empty silent room. Ianto span to see Lisa, or the body her brain now inhabited, falling backwards under the force of the shots aimed at her. Blood slowly seeping from the bullet holes to her chest and abdomen.

The Gwen, Owen, Tosh and Jack stood in the doorway, weapons raised as Lisa lay lifeless on the conversion unit. Gwen was the only one who would not meet his eyes.

The team watched in silence as he walked heavily towards the two bodies, dropping to his knees between them, sobbing.

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><p><strong>AN: Would like to thank everyone for reading, reviewing and faving this story. It meants a lot to me as this was my first Torchwood story. :D Hopefully not my last. **

**One more chapter then its over. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**EPILOGUE**

Ianto Jones had had a plan. Get inside Torchwood Three; use what they'd salvaged from Canary Wharf and save Lisa Hallett.

And it had failed. He'd gathered all the information, he'd gotten inside Torchwood, he'd found an expert that he believed could be trusted, he'd flirted and lied to Captain Jack Harkness and in the end it had failed. Lisa was dead, Doctor Tanizaki was dead - that nice pizza delivery girl, Annie, was dead and all of them were on Ianto's conscious.

He should have known it wasn't going to work. That little voice inside his head had told him often enough. Over and over for the past year. Every day since the night he'd met Jack Harkness. But he'd ignored it. He was going to save Lisa if it was the last thing he did, damn the consequences.

If he'd known then what he knew now would he have made the same decision? Honestly, Ianto though he probably would. He loved Lisa, would always love Lisa. He'd needed to prove that love by saving her.

But why? Why prove anything? Lisa had known he loved her, he'd told her the morning she'd died. So what was he trying to prove it for.

The truth was there, that small little dark place in the back of his mind, the place that had been screaming at him every day. He wasn't trying to prove his love to Lisa, but to himself. He loved Lisa, his heart knew that, his mind knew that. But if he was honest with himself, truly honest, in this one single moment. He wasn't in love with Lisa. - And that what made all this so much harder to live with.

He'd lost everything to a lie. People were dead because of his lie. He'd lost the trust of his work colleagues because of his lie. He'd lost the trust of Jack Harkness because of his lie. – Because Ianto Jones couldn't just admit that he'd never been in love with anyone. – Until now.

And that was why Ianto's plan had failed.

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><p><strong>AN: First of all, I'd like to say I hope this finale didn't suck or disappoint too much. :) Fingers crossed you didn't hate it. **

**Second: I would like to thank you all for sticking with me on this, and for all your review and faves. I am very honoured everytime I'm informed of them. Whether this will be my only Torchwood fiction still remains to be seen. But thanks again for all the support **

**All my love Gatergirl79**


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